Their Story
by Sahrah Marmlade-Leonhart
Summary: The two lovers from the Farplane, separated by the Machina War. But so much happened before the fated execution. This is their story. ShuLenne
1. Prologue

Sahrah: Well, for some reason, the idea of having no fanfic to update made me really sad. I guess I must like you guys... Ahem.

Editor: Sahrah...

Sahrah: Right! Right, well, hey thar! Welcome to "Their Story". It's about Shuyin and Lenne and their life in Zanarkand. Of course it's speculative, seeing as FFX-2 only tells so much. But I figured hey, I could write their story. It's not just about Yuna and the Gullwings and Vegnagun and Leblanc being a hussy... It's also about two lovers that died together in the Machina War one thousand years ago. It's also about Lenne, a songstress, a famous performer, sent to the front lines with hundreds of summoners, put up against machina that they couldn't hope to fight... It's about Shuyin, a helpless man who wanted to protect his love, even if it meant his own death.

Squall: You're talking too much. This prologue isn't even that special.

Sahrah: Shut up! It's very special! Hmph. Well, disclaimer. I do not own Shuyin, Lenne, FFX-2, Zanarkand, or Blitzball. That belongs to Square Enix. The music belongs to Celine Dion (because I think Lenne would sing songs like her), and the plotline and all other characters belong to me! Yay me!

Squall: Oh, and I'm from Final Fantasy VIII. I'm not sure why I'm here. Sahrah really just likes clinging to me and yelling stupid crap. Whatever...

Editor: Okay, enough. Here we go. The whole thing is in _italics. _Thoughts are in **bold. **Singing is regular font.

**Prologue: Awakening**

_It was dark. Deep, dark. Floating endlessly in the abyss of pyreflies and silence. She sat on air, half dreaming. Alone. She didn't come here alone... did she? She couldn't remember. Something was missing, something important...  
_

_She was not lonely. She had been asleep, she had faded long ago, while she slept, the one she loved opened his eyes. He knew loneliness far deeper than anything she would ever know. Her love... Oh, he was scared, and lonely, and furious in ways she couldn't understand. He was so angry; she could feel it now as she woke._

_She couldn't remember anything, but she didn't panic. She felt warm and safe, despite everything. But she was forgetting something. It was missing. Missing... what could it be? She didn't know. _

_She opened her eyes. Her eyes were soft cinnamon in color, gentle and warm, emotional and powerful. Suddenly could feel her lover's fury, his wrath. Violently, the memories that had almost faded into the dark nothingness seeped back into her head. She trembled as tears ran down her face. Every moment...  
_

_**'Vegnagun.' 'SHUYIN!' 'Play me a song?' 'YOU MUST...' 'You have been selected for the draft...' 'DON'T LEAVE ME!' 'Hey, get out of my seat!' 'YOU MUST STOP!' 'The concert.' 'HER DAUGHTER'S NAME MEANS FREEDOM.' 'I found it.' 'COMPANY LEADER, TEAM N...' 'Please don't...' 'YOU'RE GOING TO...' 'The letter.' 'NO, YOU CAN'T BE DEAD!' 'My last night with him.' 'YOU MUST STOP!' 'Goodbye.' 'IF YOU DIE, THEN I...' 'I forgive you.' 'HE'S ONLY A CHILD.' 'It didn't hurt at all.' 'THAT'S ENOUGH...' 'I love you.' 'I can't reach...' 'Where...' 'Fading...' 'Shuyin!' 'I LOVE YOU.' 'Oh, Shuyin…I remember when it all started…' 'THE END.' 'Such a long time ago…' 'can't we rest now…?' 'I'm... So tired...'  
**_

_She could feel warmth returning to her limbs that had grown cold over a thousand years. Her knuckles cracked quietly and she stretched her legs. Her long brown hair flowed around her. Was she in the ocean? She couldn't tell. She reached out her bare arms, but her fingers met nothing but air. Or was it water? She was naked, but for some reason she wasn't worried...  
_

_**'It's so dark here… Here... Shuyin, where are you? What have you done in my absence?'**_

_The memory of her first concert surfaced again. Her lips twitched. So many centuries of silence, her voice ached to be heard. Then she heard it._

_A song._

"…shouting might have been the answer… what if I'd cried my eyes out and begged you…"

_It was a song she had been writing the day before she got the letter. Her lips twitched again, and softly, she sang along. She didn't know who was singing. She didn't care._

"Not to depart… But now, I'm not afraid to say what's in—"

"-My heart!"_ Her eyes widened in surprise. She was standing on an unfamiliar stage. She looked around. Machina lights flashed behind her and above her. People watched, awestruck by her singing. Her clothes were familiar songstress clothes. This was not her stage, or her home. But she kept singing; it felt right._

_She could feel the song pulsing through her veins. Every note wrapped around her tongue as it flew into the air, followed by the next. The song was beautiful and sad, and it spoke. It told of two lovers fated to die... The first victims caught in the net of Spira's circle of death.  
_

_And suddenly, it was a duet. A girl sang next to her, but the long-haired woman was unsure of how she got there.  
_

_The girl was dressed the same as her, but her hair was shorter, her eyes miss-matched blue and green, her voice silkier. She sang the melody._

_So, the woman sang the harmony. They switched parts for the following verse. As they sang, she remembered. She remembered running, she remembered falling, she remembered him playing that death piano... She remembered running to him. Reaching for him. Wanting to save him._

_She remembered dying._

_Just before the crescendo at the end, she remembered everything. With a sad, longing look at the girl, she lowered her microphone slowly. She didn't belong on this stage. This was not her concert._

_As the last note rang through the air, she disappeared again._

_Once more, it was silent. Once more, it was dark. Once more, she was alone. But she knew who she was. She knew what she had to do next. She drew in a long breath, and let out a heavy sigh.  
_

_**'That concert… It was just like the day it all started… one thousand years ago… we were in Zanarkand…'**_


	2. Sorry For Your Loss

Sahrah: GEE GUYS, THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! I feel unloved…

Squall: Don't worry; I'm sure someone loves you… somewhere…

Sahrah: D8

Editor: Sigh. You got a review from Jessica, did you not?

Sahrah: That's true. I did. Thank you, Jessica! This chapter is for you.

Squall: Disclaimer, Sahrah.

Sahrah: Yeeeah, I know. Blegh. Shuyin, Lenne, Zanarkand, and all locations belong to Square Enix. The song "Have You Ever Been In Love" belongs to Celine Dion. The rest of the characters belong to _moi_. Oh, I guess we should warn them now…

Editor: Oh. Yes, that's right. See, because of the fact that we know very little about the real happenings of Zanarkand, we decided to create our own cast of characters to augment Lenne and Shu. It was an especially wonderful amount of fun.

Squall: Let's let the readers decide if they like the characters, okay? Shut up and start the chapter.

Sahrah: You're so mean…

Squall: …Whatever.

**Chapter 1: Sorry For Your Loss**

_"Have you ever been in love?  
You could touch the moonlight  
When your heart is shooting stars  
You're holding heaven in your arms  
Have you ever been so in love?"_

She stood in the center of the Blitz Dome, her beautiful voice full of confidence and romance. The water of her performance space had not been filled in, and a machina stage was erected in the middle instead. The stadium was full. People came from all over Spira to hear Lenne sing.

_"Have you ever walked on air?  
Ever felt like you were dreamin'?  
When you never thought it could  
But it really feels that good  
Have you ever been so in love?"_

_He_ was in the stands that day. He didn't always get the chance to come and see her sing, because he was always working some odd job. He was determined to make his own money, determined to keep his apartment in the expensive, high-class A-East district with his own income (Lenne generally assumed it was some kind of masculinity thing). But he came to her concert that day, and was sitting with Lenne's mother in the VIP box.

_"Have you ever been in love?  
You could touch the moonlight  
When your heart is shooting stars  
You're holding heaven in your arms  
Have you ever been in love, have you?"_

She allowed herself a quick glance up to where he sat. As he always did when he came to her concerts, he was leaning up against the rail, straining his neck to see her better, the expression on his face boyish, innocent, longing. _Adorable_. Lenne smiled inwardly.

_"The time I spent waiting  
For something that was heaven sent  
When you find it, don't let go  
I know…_

_"Have you ever said a prayer  
And found that it was answered?  
All my hopes have been restored  
And I ain't looking anymore  
Have you ever been so in love, have you?"_

The audience was completely awestruck. This was her grand finale of the night.

_"__Some place that you ain't leavin'  
Somewhere you're gonna stay  
When you finally found the meaning  
Have you ever felt this way?  
The time I spent waiting  
For something that was heaven sent  
When you find it, don't let go,  
I know_

_"'Cause have you ever been so in love, so in love  
You could touch the moonlight  
You can even reach the stars  
Doesn't matter near or far  
Have you ever been so in love?  
'Cause have you ever been in love?  
Have you ever been in love?"_

She paused for two measures of instrumental break, glanced up at Shuyin again, and sang the last line.

"_So… in… love?"_

Lenne lowered the microphone away from her mouth and smiled brilliantly, bowing, enjoying the sight of thousands of flowers hitting the stage, loving the sound of all the screams of joy and encouragement. The audience chanted her name over and over again in one huge cheer.

"_Lenne! Lenne! Lenne! Lenne!_"

The stage began to lower, dropping her slowly to the dim room under the dome. She waved goodbye to her fans before the massive doors slid shut and her world became silent. Then the stage reached the cement floor and she stepped down.

"Great concert, Lenne!" chortled a tall, lanky brunette man with bright green eyes.

"Sam," she greeted her agent. The jovial man held out a cold water bottle to the singer, who promptly finished half of it. Wiping her lips with the back of her hand, she watched with pretty chocolate eyes as the stage workers cleaned.

"Lenne, sweetheart!"

"Mama?" she turned to see her mother walking towards her with Shuyin in tow. And he was carrying a dozen blue roses.

"For you," he told her with a cheesy grin as he gave them to the singer and kissed her cheek. Her mother scowled slightly; the older woman had never completely approved of Shuyin, in his lower-middle class state. But she did respect the love her daughter had for the young man, and vice-versa.

"Oh, it's so good to see you, Sandra!" Sam said in his clever "Let's give them some alone time" fashion.

"You too, Samson," agreed Lenne's mother Sandra, as she hooked arms with her friend and walked away, leaving the two young lovers alone.

"Thanks for coming," Lenne told her boyfriend with a gentle smile. "What time do you have to be at work today?"

He glanced up at the clock. "Three minutes ago."

She smiled softly, stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss delicately on his lips. "Go," she told him quietly as he kissed her back, bowed to Lenne's mother and Sam, and ran off down the hall. "I'll be there as soon as I change!" she called after him.

So Lenne left to do just that. She went to her dressing room, opening the door carefully; luckily there were no rabid fans jumping out at her like last weekend.

She slipped off her silky blue top with the white ruffles and replaced it with a sexy, low cut green tank top. She traded her short black skirt for a light pink, longer one, and she tied her hair back into a low ponytail with a pink ribbon. Lenne removed her boots and her makeup, slipped on a pair of sandals, and left.

* * *

The Coffee Stop was Lenne's favorite place in Spira. She and her closest friends always met up there, had their coffee, and chatted for hours. Grey was Shuyin's best friend, and Sumomo's boyfriend. Marika, Sumomo, and Lenne were also best friends.

"Hey!" called Lenne cheerfully as she entered the familiar little café. Marika looked up from a book with her green, swirly Al Bhed eyes and smiled.

"Rao, cfaadea, hela luhland!" she said with a grin. Lenne smacked her hand against the table with a fake scowl.

"Speak my language, I keep telling you!"

"You are so lucky you're out of school, or else you'd have flunked the language course. She said 'hey, sweetie, nice concert!'" Sumomo walked over to the table where Marika and Lenne sat, a tray of five coffee cups in her hands.

"Oh! Thanks, Mari." Lenne sat down next to Marika and took a cup. Grey walked out of the men's bathroom, planted a kiss on Sumomo's cheek, and then gave Lenne a hug hello.

Marika was, as stated before, an Al Bhed. Her eyes were a playful light green, her blonde hair short, barely brushing her creamy shoulders. She wore a teal dress that reached her knees and a pair of tan sandals. Her wrists and neck were laced with homemade jewelry, and on the ring finger of her right hand was her mother's engagement ring.

The growing tension between the city-states of Bevelle and Zanarkand had called the frontline summoners out to the enemy ground. Marika's mother was one of those summoners. Shuyin and all of Lenne's friends expressed concern that the singer herself would be drafted to the army, but it was generally a second thought, pushed back into the dusty corners of their minds to gather cobwebs.

Sumomo was a cheery, tan girl with long, wavy black hair. Her nails were long and painted, and her shirt was light pink with flowy sleeves and a very low neckline. She wore a pair of denim short-shorts, and off-white knee-high socks with lavender ballet shoes (although it should be mentioned that Sumomo was not actually a dancer).

With a loud sip of the extra-sweetened coffee, Lenne glanced up at the screen of the television. It was news about the war.

_"The summoners are succumbing to the advanced machina of Bevelle… Summoners who are not enlisted are being drafted to the—" _the screen blipped off angrily as the manager lowered the remote. The lights began to dim, and people shushed each other fervently.

Then, a single beam of light landed on a piano in the middle of the room, and Shuyin sat behind it, staring intensely at the white and black ivory keys.

One of Shuyin's part-time jobs was being a pianist at the Coffee Stop, and that's why the café continued to be the meeting place for the group even though they had all finished high school and could have easily found a more convenient location.

He looked up at his music (he wrote his own, of course) and adjusted a paper or two before dancing across the keyboard with his fingers.

Lenne sighed dreamily, listening to the beautiful melody. It was sad, like a wistful reminisce on happier days. And there were so many happier days to remember.

Before the mindless fighting began between the two enormous city-states, before the tension in the air suffocated the very streets of the great metropolises.

Before people lost their hearts to the mindless violence of bloodshed and war.

The music dropped low, picking up in some spots, climaxing with an explosion of sound, the notes binding together into a sweet chord that rang out long after the song was over.

Everyone in the room applauded, eventually giving Shuyin a standing ovation.

He played three more powerful pieces, and upon receiving his break, marched over to the table, picked Lenne off her seat with one arm, and sat down. He then pulled Lenne into his lap.

"Hey!" she squeaked as he took a casual swig of her coffee.

"Thanks," he grinned and kissed her cheek, then turned his attention to Grey.

Grey was slightly taller than Shuyin, with somewhat spiky light brown hair and (appropriately) grey eyes. His smile was almost as dazzling as Shuyin's. He was on the Zanarkand Abes, the Blitzball team that played for Zanarkand in the International Tournament. Sadly, the tournament had been cancelled that year because of the war.

Lenne sighed and started to stand up, prepared to get another chair for herself, but Shuyin tightened his grip around her waist and kept talking to his friend.

"I kind of envy you, man. I wish I could play the piano like that," sighed Grey.

"And I wish I was the star player of the Zanarkand Abes, but here we are," Shuyin pointed out.

"Is that a new song?" asked Marika. "The first one you played."

"Yeah. Did you like it?"

Lenne narrowed her eyes and gripped Shuyin's wrist as he chatted, trying to wrench herself free. He put the coffee cup down with a sigh and held her struggling hands still without even looking. She twisted more.

"Don't fight it, Lenne!" he grinned. "You're only making it worse!" Sumomo snorted as she looked to see her two friends tangled and wrestling in the chair, and Marika raised a newspaper in front of her face. Grey stifled his laughter.

The antics of Shuyin and Lenne had always provided much amusement for their friends. They were an extremely affectionate couple.

"Let… go!" she exclaimed, scrunching her face up cutely in concentration. Shuyin chuckled a bit; her face was rather funny. He released her arms, put his hand under her chin and kissed her nose, then let go with a smirk.

With a thud, she landed on the floor, blushing and glowering. She wrapped her fingers around the legs of his chair and yanked fiercely.

The seat gave a violent lurch as she almost knocked it over. Shuyin laughed again, then Lenne and everyone else. The singer retrieved another chair and pulled it close next to her boyfriend's.

"Lenne, when is your next concert?" asked Grey.

"In a week, in Luca," she told him.

"Yeah, Lenne's leaving on the airship the morning after tomorrow," Marika supplied. "And apparently you're dating some person from the Kilika Beasts."

"What?" everyone looked up sharply. Marika smirked, dropping the newspaper face up. The article said _"Lenne Tops The Charts Again."_ A picture showed Lenne in her singing costume on the stage in Besaid. A smaller picture showed a beefy young man with jet black hair and beady eyes, and the short, simple caption "Lenne's Lover."

Lenne closed her eyes and pressed two fingers to her forehead in anger. Shuyin rolled his eyes, his mouth curved into a soft frown.

"Tabloids," Sumomo shook her head. "A load of crap." Marika and Grey nodded in agreement.

"If it upsets you, just call your agent and have him set the record straight," supplied the Al Bhed girl.

"I will! Right now!" snapped the singer as she whipped out her cell phone and dialed the numbers of her agent, her fingers pounding the digits wrathfully.

_"Samson Lewis, at your service,"_ his voice chortled over the phone.

"Sam? It's Lenne. There's a rumor about my romantic life in the tabloids. Fix it."

"_It'll all wash out—"_ he started to say.

"No! That's not good enough; this is the seventh time they've tried to pair me up with some person I've never even met. Now call the writer of this article and tell them that I am in love with a Zanarkand native named _Shuyin_, and he is a _pianist. _I don't even know this Blitzer they put in the paper. Got it?"

_"Ugh… Fine. Hope you know that it'll make the ten o'clock news though…"_

"Good! Thanks, Sam!"

_"Yeah. Oh, tell Shuyin I said hi, will ya?"_

"Sure. See you in two days!"

_"Bright and early."_ The phone let out a short melody as it disconnected from Sam. Lenne shook her head; her agent was a great guy.

"Sam says hi, Shu," she told her boyfriend.

"Hi," Shuyin replied.

Lenne laughed a bit, and then glanced at her watch.

"Shoot, it's already one? I've got to get going."

"Remember the time you didn't leave before one and like _twelve_ fanboys tackled me and Shuyin because we were guarding you?" Grey chuckled.

"Some guy tried to pay me off at the door," Sumomo added.

"How could anyone forget _that?_" asked Marika. "Anyway. I've got to get going too. I'll just run to the ladies room before I go…" She gave Lenne a hug and made her way to the back of the coffee place.

Lenne bid farewell to the rest of her friends, kissed Shuyin sweetly, and then left with a bounce in her step. The door to the Coffee Stop shut behind her, and then opened again. The door bell tinkled merrily, happily, oblivious to the decaying world around it.

"Um… Lenne?" It was Marika.

"What's up? Wanna walk home together?" the brunette smiled.

The Al Bhed pressed the tips of her index fingers together. "I don't wanna… impose, or, like… I dunno how to put this, and I…" tears formed in the corners of Marika's green eyes, and Lenne stepped towards her.

"Mari? What's wrong?"

"I… I got—!" But Marika never finished the sentence, because she fell to her knees crying hysterically. There was a moment of silence. Out of all Lenne's friends, Marika was the strongest, putting up not only with just a single parent to support her, but all the racism that came along with her being Al Bhed.

"Come on," Lenne exclaimed fiercely. "Let's go to my place. Okay? We'll have hot chocolate and you can calm down and tell me what's going on." The Al Bhed nodded, gasping through sobs for air. All the worst-case scenarios Lenne could think of played in her head at once.

Lenne waved down a taxi and paid for it to drive to her ritzy A-East apartment complex as Marika wailed in her arms.

Without asking questions, without demanding answers, Lenne pushed Marika towards the bathroom, letting her calm down and shower and get clean. As the Al Bhed girl showered, Lenne grabbed a set of fleece pajamas and placed them next to the sink.

Half an hour later, Marika emerged, hair wet, eyes puffy and red, dressed in Lenne's nightclothes.

"Sit down here with me, Mari," Lenne said in her best motherly voice. The singer patted the overstuffed maroon couch that she was sitting on. Her friend obliged, and for a little while neither said anything. Then, without looking at her friend, the blonde began to speak.

"I got evicted from my apartment today," she said. "My… landlord was angry because my mom's last paycheck never came, and I got kicked out of the apartment. I'm not making enough to pay the rent on my own, and… S-Sumomo still lives at home with her huge family, and well, I know you've got a guest room, and… I have nowhere else to go!" Marika burst out crying again, hiding her face in her hands. "I don't know what to do!"

"Marika, you can stay with me! Of course you can! Come on, sweetie, let's talk about this. So the didn't the check arrive? We can just contact the army and ask about the paycheck—"

"My mom is dead." Marika's voice was gravely quiet, like she didn't want to believe the words she was saying. Like she _couldn't_ believe them. And in all honesty, Marika didn't have that strength. Her only parent was dead. Dead. Gone. Never to return. Never. Never to hug her or kiss her goodnight. Never to remind her to take out the trash or call back the repairman. Never to do anything, because she would never again open her eyes. Because Marika's mother was gone forever. She was dead. _Dead._

"The assault didn't work," the Al Bhed whispered. "Zanarkand got overpowered. The summoners they sent out weren't enough; they were captured and executed in Bevelle. I got the letter yesterday. They're sorry for my loss. I have nothing. They're _sorry_ for my _loss._ They're **_SORRY_ **for my _**LOSS**!_ They can't pay me because of financial issues, and I've been evicted, but that's _OKAY_ because they're **_VERY SORRY FOR MY LOSS_**_!"_

Lenne wrapped her arms around her friend. "Oh, Marika!" Marika shrieked and cried, hugging the singer fiercely, as if letting go would spell her own death.

"Oh, Marika," Lenne whispered again.

"_Sorry_ for my… _SORRY _for my…!" she choked out, coherent thought replaced with grief and rage and hurt.

The night air was crisp and cool. It was fairly warm, and the city lights blazed until long after dawn. Marika eventually fell asleep, her shoulders still shaking in silent mourning, and Lenne slipped under the covers of the bed with her, listening to the cars blazing past, the city noises bouncing through the dark room.

The people in those cars didn't care about Marika, or her mother, or the war. The city lights didn't care about the suffering or the stench of death that carved deep into the open wounds of the world. Even the rising sun mocked the foolish human beings who fought against each other so hard for something inconsequential.

Lenne sighed sadly. The lights and the dawn and the people didn't care. Worse still, they didn't even _know_. Ignorance was _not_ bliss; it was negligence and selfishness and _death_. What entitles one person to be spared from the horrors of reality simply because they do not know any better?

Lenne closed her eyes, a tear slipping through her lashes. '_Nothing does,'_ she thought to herself. _'Ignorant people are the ones who die first.'_

**End of chapter 1**

Sahrah: HAHA, ONE CHAPTER IN AND ALREADY I'M RUINING THEIR LIVES!

Editor: Well, this story IS tragedy, is it not?

Sahrah: That's true. But it'll probably have some semblance of a happy ending. Because I'm just not hardcore enough. Ugh. This chapter annoyed me; Shuyin and Lenne didn't get ANY cutesy alone time at ALL.

Squall: You're the writer. It's your fault.

Sahrah: JERKFACE! Hmph. Well, next time then. Oh yes. Next time they're going on a freaking DATE and NO ONE SHALL STOP ME!

Editor: Sahrah, shut your face.

Sahrah: …NO! Please review, reviews make Sephiroth's hair shiny and gloooriouuuus!

Squall: And we're talking about Sephiroth _why_?

Sahrah: BECAUSE REVIEWS KEEP HIS HAIR CONDITIONED AND WELL GROOMED!


	3. Prayer

Sahrah: Chapter two, HUZZAH!

Editor: Late, per usual.

Sahrah: You wound me with your words. Hmph. For your INFORMATION, I was putting my heart and soul into the WORLD PREMIERE high school production of Frankenstein, the musical. (Mary Shelley's classic novel. Reborn.) And then I bought a copy of The World Ends With You for the DS. And IT IS FANTASTIC.

Squall: Stop acting lame and start the chapter.

Sahrah: Boo. Fine. Leeet's see... uh... Much like "The World Ends With You", Final Fantasy X-2, Shuyin, Lenne, and all locations belong to the majesty of SQUARE ENIX. The lyrics belong to Celine Dion. The other characters are of the belonging to ME.

**Chapter 2: Prayer**

As usual, Lenne was hard at work on another song.

She had woken up that morning inspired. Marika slept soundly in the bed, and Lenne sat beside it, notebook on her lap, mechanical pencil scribbling away mercilessly at the paper beneath it.

It was a song about the war.

The aftermath of suffering that seemed endless.

A prayer.

_"__Can we touch the soul of heaven  
Can we unite a sacred lesson  
Every child creates a skylight...of beauty  
Can you hear cathedrals fallin'?  
All the universe is callin'  
Cry single cello...from your heart  
Since the world has lost her way  
Loneliness journey endlessly  
yet the promised chance_ _remains  
gift of what could be…"_

Lenne frowned, tapping the eraser of her pencil against her lips in concentration.

_"…__So let the children remember the sun  
Let them dance let them soar  
for their lives have begun  
Let the children engender the rain  
as the river runs through fields  
forever subsiding their pain…_

_Prayer…_

_Every voice along the shore line  
Standing still within time  
Spinning on resolved...the walking  
as each season passes  
through wonderlands, looking glasses  
Secret garden shires... beckons you  
Gentle flower don't fade away  
sweet innocent still harbors near  
In the faith of golden dreams  
Where one love lives eternally…"_

Nothing lasts forever, she thought to herself. The singer decided to put the notebook down, at least for the time being. In the bed beside her, Marika mumbled and roused to partial wakefulness, her swirly green eyes fluttering as she sat up.

"Morning, sunshine," Lenne greeted.

"Hey..." the Al Bhed mumbled drowsily.

"What do you want to do for breakfast? I was planning on hanging out with Shuyin today, because it's his day off, and I'm leaving tomorrow, so…"

"I have to work," Marika reminded the singer with a patient laugh. "So don't worry about me... and, uh..."

"Stay here as long as you need," supplied Lenne. "And no, I won't tell Shuyin."

"Well, that knocks off my next set of questions. I'm going to make coffee. Have fun on your date."

Marika yanked herself out of bed and towards the kitchen while Lenne got dressed in a cream-colored sweater and a short denim skirt. She pulled on the boots from her singing outfit, and tied her hair back into two low pigtails. She wore no makeup (she was pretty without it) and toted a purse the same color as her sweater. She also wore a pair of large sunglasses; every time she forgot them, people asking for autographs and photos would ruin her outing. A detriment of her career was certainly the constant need to be incognito in public.

With a quick goodbye shouted at her friend and ran to meet Shuyin in front of the small development of condominiums, each very lush and expensive. A benefit of her career was certainly the paycheck.

"Ready? Let's go," she said with a smile as he extended an arm. The two held hands as they strolled into the busy heart of Zanarkand, the streets buzzing with people, the metallic _clink_ of gil into beggar cups and tip jars, and the opening and closing of car doors filling the air.

"Oh, woah," Lenne murmured as they passed a few stores. "Look at those earrings! They're so cute!"

The earrings she had noticed were several lengthy strings of beads hanging from gold chains that were attached to a silver diamond. The beads were pretty and eye-catching, and Lenne could see that they would look very good with many outfits. However, she did not buy those earrings that day. They were expensive, and Shuyin had little money to spend. She did not want him to buy them because he couldn't really afford it, and Lenne would not buy them herself because it would make Shuyin feel bad.

He nodded with a grin. "You'd look cute in them," he said.

"Ah well, there'll be other jewelry," Lenne smiled back, tightening her grip around his hand, giving him a silent 'leave it' as they walked on.

They spent the day window shopping, stopping at an outdoor café to eat lunch. They went to the sphere theatre and watched a movie (the only place where it was safe for the singer to remove her sunglasses). Lenne steered them away from expensive jewelry stores, and the couple enjoyed their date.

"Let's get some ice cream!" Shuyin exclaimed. The pair had arrived at the park, and were walking through it holding hands.

"Tsk, if you insist," Lenne giggled as she walked to the vendor and his little cart.

"Haha," Shu laughed, looking at the menu. "I want chocolate with rainbow sprinkles."

"Okay... May I have… vanilla with… Oreo pieces?" Lenne asked politely. The vendor nodded and handed the two their respective desserts, Shuyin paid, and they left.

The sun began to set as Lenne sat down on a bench, licking her ice cream daintily, and Shuyin leaned on the same bench from behind, biting into his frozen treat.

Lenne sighed happily, leaning back against his hand.

"I love you, Lenne," he murmured into her hair, kissing the back of her head. She reached up with her free hand and stroked his cheek.

"Love you, too." She smiled softly, withdrawing her hand and licking her ice cream. He jumped over the back of the bench and sat beside her. Shuyin finished his ice cream long before the singer, and so they sat in a comfortable silence.

"No one's left but us," he whispered into her ear. She nodded, her breath caught in her throat. No matter what, Shuyin had always been the only guy that really made her heart pound. "So I think you should take off your glasses. I can't see your pretty eyes."

He reached slowly towards her face, brushing her cheek gently, and pulling the sunglasses away from her face. He drew in a breath.

"Beautiful." She blushed, and Shuyin kissed her softly.

* * *

Shuyin dropped Lenne off at her ritzy apartment at nine o'clock, where Marika was already waiting to talk, equipped with hot chocolate and warm pajamas. They spoke for an hour and then turned on the news, where they started with sports, then went on to talk about Lenne's successful new album.

"Y'know, the first time I made news, I was really excited, but it really does get kind of old kind of fast," the singer commented to her Al Bhed friend.

The anchorman went on to say, "Also, in retaliation to tabloids, Lenne has revealed the question on many a fan's mind—who is she dating? Well, it isn't a Blitzball player, or a member of any band. It's a highschool sweetheart—" Marika switched the television off.

"It's kind of like watching someone narrate your life, huh?" she smiled. "Do you ever regret it?"

"Never," Lenne grinned. "I love my fans, and my friends, and Shuyin. I love to sing."

"What will you do, though? If you get drafted for frontline summoning?"

Lenne's eyes hardened. "Then… I'll fight."

* * *

Lenne and Shuyin were standing near the airship port in the very early morning, with Marika promising to watch the condo. Lenne was bundled up in designer winter clothing (It was still mid-fall, but the weather was growing steadily colder, and it was even colder in the early morning. Also, it was approximately 15 degrees colder in Zanarkand than in Luca.)

Lenne sported a long thick winter coat with a light blue criss-cross pattern. She had a matching white hat and mittens, and warm black boots.

Shuyin, on the other hand, was wearing a shabby, slightly worn light brown leather coat with a fleece lining. He had his hands in his pockets, and he wore a dark blue ski hat.

What the pair did have in common, however, was their cheeks were flushed from the icy morning wind, their noses were red as well, and they were both going to miss the other greatly in the week of Lenne's absence.

"See ya soon," he whispered.

"I wish you could come with me," she sighed wistfully.

"I wish I could, too."

Lenne's agent, Samson, walked up quickly dressed in a long black leather coat, hands in fleece-lined pockets.

"Lenne, we have to go," he said.

She nodded. "Give me a moment?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Fine, lovebirds, I'll be in the room. And it's my turn for the bed closest to the window.

At this point, you may be finding it odd that Lenne is sharing a cabin with a man and Shuyin is not at all threatened by it. The following series of dialogue will clear any thoughts from the reader's mind.

"Oh, Sam, don't forget to call Darryl before you leave."

"It's a shame he's sick; I didn't get a kiss goodbye," the agent mumbled.

"Well you could have kissed him, but then you'd be sick, and I'd be screwed!" Lenne said cheerfully, drawing a smile from her saddened agent. Samson walked away, drew out his phone, and called his boyfriend, humming "Everytime We Touch" as it rang.

Now you understand, yes?

Lenne grinned and shook her head, and Shuyin laughed a bit.

"Speaking of goodbye kisses," she murmured, standing on her toes to reach his face. She pressed her chilled lips against his, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gasped slightly as he lifted her off the ground so they were eye level. Well, more precisely, they would be eye level if their eyes were open.

"WE'RE LEAVING WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, LENNE!" Apparently Sam had managed to convince the pilot to let him use the exterior loudspeaker, because the ship was screaming at the singer in annoyance. Clearly the pilot had never flown with Lenne and Samson before. Their normal pilot would never let the agent touch that microphone.

The two pulled apart, Lenne was set on her feet, and she pecked Shuyin's cheek before running aboard the airship, all the while yelling "I'M COMING, DAMNIT!" Shuyin laughed again and waved as the ship took off, waving until the ship left his sight.

Lenne sat down on the plush armchair in the first-class cabin, flipped open her notebook, and pressed the eraser of her mechanical pencil against her lips in thought. The song was still only halfway written, and the singer really wanted the lyrics completed before they reached Luca.

_"__Let the children remember the sun_

_Let them dance, let them soar_

_For their lives have begun_

_Let the children engender the rain_

_As the river runs thru fields, forever subsiding their pain_

_Prayer…"_

She mumbled the words very quietly, off in her dreamy world of pretty lyrics and soft music.

_" Let the children, for they are the light_

_They are the truth_

_The spirit in flight_

_Yes, the children engender the rain_

_As the river runs through life_

_Healing the pain…"_

Sam looked up from his magazine and cocked his head.

"Hard at work on another masterpiece, Lenne?"

"You know it. Hey, how does this sound:

_'If you can trust with your heart one more time_

_Sweet angel, concede, you have_

_Forever and always believed…_'?"

"Gorgeous."

Lenne nodded and scribbled the words down, the tip of her pencil making quiet squeaking noises against the notebook paper.

"That's it, then," Lenne said with a smile.

"That's the end of another hit single? You've gotta add one more line, I think."

Lenne closed her eyes. The song was for Marika. Marika, who had lost her mother and her home because of a conflict that was both inane and lethal. It was for all the children, too, that had lost family, and all the summoners and soldiers that had lost their futures, as well as the ones who would soon lose their lives to a foolish cause.

The singer also thought of Shuyin, who struggled to make ends meet just to be with her. He wouldn't accept money or help; some people had to prove something to their own hearts.

Yes, this song was for so many people who were fighting. They were fighting for their country, for their family, for a dying cause, for the heart of another. This song was a prayer for the world that seemed to slowly be decaying, ripped apart by the sins of heartless sovereigns and monarchs, all too proud to admit mistakes or defeat.

Lenne looked up at Sam, who was reading about the latest and greatest styles from the fashion magazine in his hands. She looked back at the nearly completed lyrics. The last line of the song escaped from her lips.

_"Prayer."_


End file.
